Directional selectivity in panoramic and pantophonic interfaces: Flashdark, Narrowcasting for Stereoscopic Photospherical Cinemagraphy, Akabeko Ensemble

We investigate the potential of interactive user interfaces with omnidirectional horizontal selection. Three novel multimodal interfaces have been developed, exploring different ways of displaying and controlling spaces that encourage panoramic and pantophonic experience by featuring selection of objects distributed around the subjective equator. Besides being explicitly omnidirectional, at least regarding azimuthal orientation, they are all stereoscopic “omni-stereo.” “Flashdark” allows the experience of actively darkening a physical area, inverting the usual polarity of lighting control by using a smartphone affordance with intuitive operation as a virtual “anti-light.” “Narrowcasting for Stereoscopic Photospherical Cinemagraphy” uses a visibility atlas to selectively animate articulated sectors of a photographically captured binocular scene. “ Akabeko Ensemble” is visual music, using a keyboard controller to trigger pantophonic display of a helical chorus by an annular speaker array.